Reimagine Your Public Library

Reimagine Your Public Library

March 14, 2023

CAB Studio at the Chicago Cultural Center

78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL

Free and open to the public 7 days a week from 10 a.m.— 5 p.m. 

Today, libraries are evolving to meet the needs of the twenty-first century by serving as innovation and resource hubs that provide communities with various types of programming and services. This year commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Chicago Public Library (CPL). Since its founding in 1872, there are now more than 77 Chicago Public Library branches across the city.

The CPL anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the rich history of the public library and understand the roles libraries play in society today and in the future. The exhibition, Reimagine Your Public Library, by the Chicago-based non-profit Human Scale encourages a collaborative design process that reflects on the assets, needs, culture, and identity of communities and neighborhoods that can inform the design of a library. 

What is your neighborhood's unique identity? What is a special trait of your neighborhood? What are the needs of your neighborhood? What changes could be transformative for your community?

Human Scale is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of creating functional, beautiful, and meaningful public spaces in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Their work centers around giving community members agency in the design-build process to create unique and long-lasting projects. Since 2017, they've worked in eight neighborhoods throughout Chicago, most of them in the South and West sides of the city.